Wednesday, 31 December 2014

I once said to Bill Moyers that one
reason I enjoyed his presentations was that he was a very good teacher
and I learned so much by just listening to him. He is a great storyteller. He responded by saying that he
considered himself the student and was always eager to learn from
others. As I continued to watch him, I understood what he meant as he is adept at asking penetrating and probing questions that give the
conversation resonance and depth. Thus, I continue to learn from others, from their life experiences, from their fortunes and misfortunes and mostly from their stories.

There are books and articles that speak to me for one reason or
another and two recent good reads are Stephen King’s book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and Atul Gawande’s significant work Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. King’s book is
autobiographical and he ends up sharing what he has learned about good
writing. Anyone tuned in to current events knows that health care in this country is
broken without much hope for a quick fix. Atul Gawande, a surgeon in
Boston, gives me some hope, this being his fourth book that I have
devoured.
I enjoy writing, thus I read widely and write narrowly. I have written two small books in the past two years, mostly for the exercise of sharing some thoughts and experiences more widely with others. Will I write another one next year? Time will tell. Suggestions are welcome.

Many
people start a conversation by asking what I do. I am often tempted to
answer by asking another question such as why is that important to you?
Or even something more glib such as I do a lot of different things, what
do you do? Of course, I know what they mean, so I try to say something
that sounds half way intelligent such as I am a teacher or an educator
or a project manager or a writer and at least keep the conversation alive and moving
along. My goal has been to continue to try and improve the quality of
life where I find it. I learned that from Larry Mellon who adopted
Albert Schweitzer’s maxims of reverence for life and life being a big
canvas on which you throw some paint.

I
have learned what works and what the critical variables are in the equation for change and growth. It has taken me back to the beginning. I call it the
circle of success: common vision, common values, common purpose. If we
are to succeed in our work, in this country and elsewhere, we must learn
how to build collaborative energy, listen carefully to what is being
said, and just as important, what is not being said, ask questions that
are penetrating and honest, discern the real from the superficial and
help people move forward with passion and purpose beyond themselves.

My wish and hope for each of you is that you will have a wonder-filled 2015, full of grace and glad surprises. Remember to nourish your spirit often at the wellspring of faith, not any kind of narrowly defined religious faith, but rather faith in yourself and others that extends hope and deepens our humanity. Let's continue to work toward a more peaceful, just and sane world and enjoy the journey along the way, listening, learning and moving on.

Sunday, 21 December 2014

On Sunday, December 21, 2014, at 6:03 PM Eastern Time (for me) the sun reaches its southernmost point before starting back on
its northward trek toward Spring. You can calculate your own time accordingly. Actually it has more to do with the tilt of the earth on its axis and
its elliptical orbit but we will leave that to the astronomers.I am just one of those who watches the
sun regularly rise and set, notice where it is on the horizon, and give thanks,
for I am blessed to be able to see the horizon most of the time. At that moment, the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. That's why the sun appears as far south on the horizon as it ever goes on its journey.

The winter solstice really only lasts a moment in time, and
some of the other terms for the day on which this occurs, are
"midwinter", "the longest night" or "the shortest
day".It really is not the
shortest day or longest night.It just
refers to the amount of light within a 24-hour period. And, it should not be confused with
"the first day of winter" especially here in northern climates
where there is snow and cold since before Thanksgiving. Ironically, at this moment today I am as far south in the United States as one can go, Key West, Florida.

What winter solstice signals for me is the return of the
light as now the days start getting longer or rather there is a bit more
daylight each day, just as it has been decreasing slowly each day since last
summer’s solstice. This celebration of light is recognized and honored by many
religious groups.From the Roman
Saturnalia to the Indian Pancha Ganapati to Hanukkah and Christmas, to the
Persian Yalda and the birth of Mithra, and the recent creation of Kwanzaa in
1966, all kinds of cultures have found ways to pay special attention to our source
of life and follow the sun.

Many of us celebrate this season with our families and
friends, give gifts and light fires; we might take a walk in the woods
or ski
down a mountain or through a forest; we might read or pray or sing;
many of us will eat and drink around a community table. Whatever we do,
it is an opportunity to take some
time to do something special that is worth remembering. Stop whatever
you’re
doing for just a moment in time, for that is what solstice is, a moment
in
time.Mark it in your
journal or on your calendar with your own special thought and experience and share it with your family and friends.At the least, be open to receive the blessings and gifts of the season and celebrate joyfully and gratefully.

Tuesday, 16 December 2014

A colleague asked me to write something about curiosity and in so
doing I wondered about what it is that makes us curious.When we see or hear something about
which we want to know more, what is it that propels us to explore in more depth
and detail toward a greater level of understanding?There are those who spend their entire lives
researching one particular subject or topic, perhaps most frequently in the
field of science, perhaps because science is a systematic way of knowing.

When one of my sons was very young he would spend hours
watching ants outdoors, had the classic indoor ant farm, watched all kinds of
insects and while he did not become an entomologist, he did major in biology
and environmental science, became a teacher and one of his current avocations
is collecting a particular species of moths.Why?What drove
his curiosity all these years to want to know more, to explore and discover
what it all means in the larger ecosystem?Perhaps it’s seeing the connections, how one thing is
related to another and that to yet another and so on.And then one day, we realize that we are all species of life
who are connected on this same fragile planet.And what are we to make of that?It’s a curious thing, this inter-connectedness.

Those who know me well, know that I watch the sun rise most
mornings and while it sparks some curiosity about the solar system, and other
galaxies, I usually just end up in a state of awesome appreciation for the
creation of yet another day.I
watch with fascination the sun’s apparent seasonal movement along the horizon
from solstice to equinox and back again, as predictable and reliable as
anything I know.It’s comforting
and quieting to be able to participate in something so constant and feel like I
am even a part of this most amazing creation.I am sufficiently curious to see how I can celebrate each
season with joyful activities in order to absorb more of nature’s offerings.

I’ve always been curious about whether animals have thoughts
and while I am convinced they do, I have not been sufficiently curious to
explore the subject in depth.I
just watch them expressing themselves in various ways and I am not sure about
how really smart they are; however, it seems they can figure out a lot of
things on their own without much or any human intervention. I am an inveterate
watcher of both wild and domestic animals.So, I concluded they must go through some process of trial
and error or sizing up a situation and figuring out how to overcome some
obstacle if it’s in their way of getting what they want.Paul Corey wrote a book some years ago,
still in print, called Do Cats Think? The book was mostly about the many cats
he had and some of the stories are funny but if cats do think, then why not
other animals too?My donkeys
think mostly about eating it seems.And there are the behavior codes of survival passed from one generation
to another in many species.

As for encouraging curiosity in children, it’s easy to put
them in many different places and situations and give them numerous
opportunities to explore the world around them whether in nature, through
travel, in reading, and most of all, by asking them questions and encouraging
them to ask questions of their own.Here are some examples of questions from children.Why is the sky blue?Why do people have to die?Where do they go when they die?Why are people mean?Why do parents have to get
divorced?Who invented time and
how do we know it’s right?Why do
I have to go to school?Why is
math boring?Why is ocean water
salty? Why is water wet?Why is
our flag red, white and blue?How
does the moon follow us at night when we travel?Why are there dimples on a golf ball?What is a light year and how long is
it?What is infinity? What is the
smallest animal in the world?Where does blood come from?A parent or teacher can respond by saying let’s find out together and
see what we can learn and thus the conversation begins.Explore and discover and encourage
curiosity.

Have you ever been curious about human behavior and what
motivates us?What are you curious
about?What would you like to know
more about, not only in terms of the human condition but in the world around
you?Here’s an invitation.Write down six things that
you are curious about, things that make you wonder why they are this way or
that way.Then, take the top two
or three and put them in a comment so others can see and share. I am curious as to what you might be
curious about! Thanks!

Saturday, 13 December 2014

We grow up in this country believing that freedom is perhaps
the most important value that one can hold and cherish.The following sentence has often
been called one of, if not the most famous in the world, and has been used
repeatedly to bear witness to that belief.“We hold these truths
to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Over the course of our history, hundreds of thousands of
people have paid the ultimate price to protect that freedom and our way of
life.It is one where we say that
we are a people who are imbued with self-determination and we pledge our
allegiance to a society where there is “liberty and justice for all.”Not just for the privileged, but
for all.

We choose what kind of work we will do, we choose the people
with whom we live (after a certain age) and we even choose what kind of
transportation we will use.We
choose what foods we eat, what kinds of clothes we wear, what kinds of music we
listen to, what movies and television we watch, most of it uncensored and
without limits.We choose what we
read, where we go, where we live, what services we use and what products we
purchase. We choose how we spend whatever money we
have. We choose who will govern us
and how we will be governed although there is some debate about those
issues.We are free to choose our
religious practices or choose none at all.We choose what we read, what we write and the list goes on
and on.

Educating young people is often considered a primary way of
transmitting our culture from one generation to the next. Thus public and
private education include understanding and appreciating our history and that
of the rest of the world, especially as global issues become increasingly
important for our mutual survival.As schools struggle to change to meet the needs of a changing world, it
seems ever more important that families have the freedom to choose where they
send their children to school.

Preparing children to make intelligent, informed, and wise
choices may be one of the most important gifts a parent can give to their
children.They do that, in part,
by choosing which school their children will attend and where they will spend
an enormous amount of time being influenced by their teachers and the values
that the school espouses.The big question is whether or not the majority of parents make this
choice consciously, intentionally and with the freedom to choose which school
that will be.

Parents are no longer limited by geography or residence. Budgets aside, many schools that charge tuition offer financial aid when tuition is a factor. Perhaps the more important variables are how the school's mission and vision align with the parents, what kinds of teaching and learning are going on in a particular school, what resources the school offers, what the school environment and atmosphere communicate and what the core values are of the school under consideration. There are now more choices than ever before and it is the well-informed parents who will exercise their freedom in making that choice.

To help parents make an informed choice, I have put together a little book entitled, Your Child, Your Choice: Finding the Right School for Your Child. (2014) It's a good investment in making a good match between your children and a school that will engage them in meaningful and productive ways.
A 70 page handbook, it has a questionnaire in the back that provides feedback to parents in helping them make this important choice. Available on Amazon or from your local bookseller or multiple copy discounts for non-profit organizations directly from the author.

Sunday, 7 December 2014

Atul Gawande’s recent book, Being Mortal:Medicine and What Matters in the End, takes a good look at how we, and the medical
community, deal with people in the later years of their lives. For those of us
with aging parents or who ourselves are already past the midpoint, whatever
that may be, there are some very honest observations and recommendations in
Gawande’s latest offering.

I had conversations with my own parents prior to their
deaths that were quite different due to the circumstances attending each
one.When my grandfather died, I
thought it was a good opportunity to talk with my father about his father’s
death and how it had affected him. At that time I was in my 30’s, my Dad in his
late 50’s and my grandfather was 82 when he died.But, to my surprise, my father used the occasion to talk
about his own mortality.What he
told me was that when that day would inevitably come, all the arrangements were in place and that my brother and I did not need to be concerned about
any of the details.

What I recall, besides being surprised about his openness
and willingness to talk about it, was that this was typical of my father who
was careful about details, who paid attention to seemingly small things that
had a large impact, and who had a personal faith that transcended the
mundane.He served as a good role
model for me and my brother in so many ways and for that we will always be most
grateful.When he died suddenly in
1979 at age 67 of a massive heart attack, we were shocked but in some ways
already prepared.What he had put
in place for our mother provided for her for the rest of her life, which
continued for another 30 years.

My mother, who remarried at age 70, four years after my
father’s death, was a vital presence until the last year of her own life when
the decline started to take its toll.When she was hospitalized with pneumonia in October, 2007, at age 95, I recall
an honest conversation between us about life and death and how gratitude had
played such a large part in how she had lived.Her mind was alert, her sense of humor still in place and
she said she was ready to die.What I said was that it was okay with me and I was sure that when that
time came she would know it and that we would be fine. She left the hospital,
moved into a local care facility and four months later, checked out one night
and just did not wake up in the morning.She had told her doctor that evening that she wanted no further
medication or treatment except perhaps something to make her more comfortable. He complied. That was two months prior to her 96th birthday.

My wife’s mother, who will be 101 on January 26, continues to
live independently with daytime help in the cooking and cleaning
departments.She is still sound of
mind, although it is becoming more difficult for her body to function at the
same high level.She is an avid
reader, a published author, watches sports on TV and just had a party for some
17 friends although she says most of her close friends are already dead so she
has to make some new ones.She took a cruise a few months ago up the coast of Maine and down the
St. Lawrence to Montreal.A
companion traveled with her for assistance.She refuses to consider going into any kind of
commercial assisted living arrangements and prefers to make her own
arrangements just as she has for her own death.

These examples serve me extraordinarily well as I consider
how to make the most of whatever time remains in my own life.My intentions are to continue to
connect with our families, to celebrate each day with that attitude of
gratitude and on occasion, continue working to help others with their own
personal, professional and organizational transitions.Each sunrise brings the gift of a new
day with unlimited and creative opportunities for enjoyment, relationships,
conversations and connections.My
active full time career of 50 years has morphed into part-time, much to be
preferred.

We are blessed with the ability to travel widely and
often.Home base is in beautiful,
northern New Mexico and our mobility is increased immensely with the advantage
of a large motor home currently parked in the southernmost point of the United
States in Key West.I would not
have thought about becoming a “snow-bird” some years ago but migration south
and north at this point in time seems to be one more gift.I suppose you could even say it's part
of a larger plan.

Thursday, 4 December 2014

You may have seen the story coming from the University of
Texas and the mystery of 100 missing brains.It seems they were destroyed in 2002.They were getting rid of “biological
waste” either due to lack of use or no longer needed for neuroscience research.
Regardless of the reasons, it started my brain to think about other “missing
brains” in people who are still living.I won’t name anyone in particular as you can make your
own list of whom you think may not be using their brain any longer.It might be an interesting exercise to
make a list of the top 100 “missing brains” personalities.

The evidence of “missing brains” can be found in numerous
places in our culture.Politics,
health care, education, entertainment, food production, transportation, and sports
are just a few areas where there are signs of “missing brains.” Early brain research indicated
that we use about 10% of our brain and the question remains whether or not the
majority of people use even that much.More recent research has indicated specific areas and locations of brain
functions from speech to memory to psycho-motor skills to higher level
thinking, executive functioning, problem solving activity and measurable
emotional responses.

The main point is that our brain is the control center for
our bodies and minds where the neural network communicates both internally and
externally.There are now all
kinds of brain training exercises designed to postpone senility and keep this
three-pound mass of grey matter in better shape than previously thought
possible.It starts to become
obvious that there is a keen relationship between mind and body and I would add
spirit to that triangle to make it compete.Dan Siegel, clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA has a
different triangulation with Mind, Body and Relationships being the three
points.

Perhaps we should be thinking about missing opportunities to
learn something, whether from history or from current events and activities.
When we fulfill the definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and
over and expecting different results we are clearly brainless, or
mindless.Here is Dan Siegel on
the topic: “Mindful awareness can be considered as a way of being, more than
something that involves our “doing” something. Engage a certain “state of
mind” that has the range of qualities we have heard repeatedly even though
there is no fixed and final definition…How we pay attention (different from
awareness), on purpose (but it doesn’t have to be done with active effort, it
can in fact be an intention that happens “automatically” as a habit of being,
not a consciously thought out plan of carrying out a way of focusing attention)
to the unfolding of present moment experience …with a sense alertness,
attention to detail, and with kindness and compassion.”

About Me

Writer, traveler, hiker, fisherman, enjoying these later years, migrate south in winter along with birds and butterflies to Mexico, looking ahead to the next adventure, project and sending good wishes to friends, family and colleagues.